Larijani: Russia has no permanent military base in Iran

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has said Russia does not have and will not have a permanent military base in Iran.

Iranian news agency IRNA reported Larijani as saying on Wednesday that Iran had not put any military bases at the disposal of Russia or any other country.

The news agency said Larijani’s remarks came after MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said that under Article 146 of the Iranian Constitution the establishment of any kind of foreign military base in Iran, even for peaceful purposes, is forbidden.

Larijani said his country has cooperated with Russia “as it is our ally on regional issues, especially on Syrian issues”.

“We have good cooperation with Russia and we say it loud and clear,” he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian defence ministry announced in a statement that it had used an airbase near the city of Hamadan in western Iran to carry out airstrikes in Syria.

Remarking on the move, US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said on Wednesday that US government attorneys had not yet decided whether they think Russia’s use of the Iranian base is a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which was passed as part of the Iran nuclear deal.

“As I understand it, it’s not just supplying the Iranians certain weapons or certain offensive weaponry. It’s more complex than that,” Toner told reporters.

“Our lawyers are looking at it. We haven’t made an assessment,” he added.